About the Authors

Joseph S. Ross

joseph.ross@mssm.edu

Affiliations Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America, HSR&D Research Enhancement Award Program and Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, New York, United States of America

Gregory K. Mulvey

Affiliation Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America

Elizabeth M. Hines

Affiliation Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America

Steven E. Nissen

Affiliation Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Harlan M. Krumholz

Affiliations Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America, Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and Section of Cardiolovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America, Section of Health Policy and Administration, Yale University School of Epidemiology and Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America

Competing Interests

JSR, GKM, and HMK were previously consultants at the request of plaintiffs in litigation against Merck and Co., related to rofecoxib. SEN has received research support to perform clinical trials through the Cleveland Clinic Coordinating Center for Clinical Research from Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, Daiichi-Sankyo, Takeda, Roche, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, and Eli Lilly. SEN consults for Novartis, Anylam, Sanofi-Aventis, Astra Zeneca, Forbes Meditech, Ganedon, Genzyme, Hollis-Eden, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Karo Bio, Novo Nordisk, Roche, Daiichi-Sankyo, Takeda, Resverlogix, and Glaxo-Smith-Kline, but requires them to donate all honoraria or consulting fees directly to charity so that he receives neither income nor a tax deduction. HMK has research contracts with the American College of Cardiology and the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care, has served on the advisory boards of Amgen and UnitedHealthcare, has been a subject expert for VHA, and is academic_editor-in-Chief of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, and Journal Watch Cardiology of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Author Contributions

ICMJE criteria for authorship read and met: JSR GKM EMH SEN HMK. Agree with the manuscript's results and conclusions: JSR GKM EMH SEN HMK. Designed the experiments/the study: JSR EMH. Analyzed the data: JSR EMH HMK. Collected data/did experiments for the study: JSR GKM. Wrote the first draft of the paper: JSR. Contributed to the writing of the paper: JSR SEN HMK.